Koronis Conference 1970-03 the Pot of Oil — Neil Fraser

He was gone. She didn't have any resources upon which to rest. Let us beware, sisters, of trading upon the faith and strength of faith and piety of your husband, so that when he is gone, you have not exercised a faith and confidence of your own, and you realize that you have been trading all too long upon the piety of your spouse.

And that's good advice also for husbands, to be sure. Let us make sure that we have a confidence of our own, born of long personal, individual experience in the school of God, that when he or she who is more dear to us than life itself is taken away, we are not so bereft that we have nothing upon which to live.

The Widow’s Pot of Oil and God’s Provision

Be that as it may, she was in desperate plight. Her husband dead. She destitute, all but destitute. She seemed to have forgotten a pot of oil she had probably behind the door. And her sons in danger according to the law that obtained, are being sent into slavery at least for six years, to pay the debt which she could not pay.

A bitter experience indeed for her. Now she came to the man of God and asked for help. And he said to her, what have you got in the house? She said, I have not anything. And then she seemed to remember, well, save a pot of oil.

If there was a bitter experience, there was a blessed exception. She did have a pot of oil. And in the hands of the man of God, that was sufficient to meet her need. For he said to her, go borrow thee vessels abroad.

Borrow not a few, and go in and shut the door. This is the chapter of the shut door. You'll find the door is shut three times in this chapter, and upon a different thing in each case. We can learn from each of those, but we wouldn't have time tonight.

And so she did so. And she sent her sons out to borrow vessels and they brought. There wasn't a word of the kind of vessels that they had to bring, whether gold or silver or earthenware or stone or whatever.

They were just to borrow vessels, not a few. And she took them and shut the door and began to pour from the vessel of oil. And to her great amazement, she had a bountiful excess. A bountiful excess. For all the vessels were filled and the oil kept coming.

She discovered she was only straightened in herself. And she said, bring some more vessels, the oil is still coming. And they said, there are no more. And the oil stopped. And then the man of God said, go and pay your debt.

But then he didn't stop there. And it's the words that follow I want to emphasize for us tonight. He says, go sell the oil and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest. That is to say, he not only removed the past debt, but he provided for the present and for the future.

Go and live of the rest. Now in Romans chapter 4 we have our debt paid. Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven and whose sins are covered. And we're shown by which, the means by which our debt has been paid and the debt removed.

Romans 5: Peace with God and the Bountiful Excess of Grace

But when you come to Romans chapter 5, to which I'll ask you to turn now, please, we shall discover the bountiful excess which has caught us in Christ. In fact, the Spirit of God seems to say to us, go and live of the rest.

I want us to speak briefly tonight. I'll try to make it brief. I'll try to leave a little time for my young brother, Peter Pell. After all, he's my brother. But on the other hand, it's not very often you have brother Fraser, right?

Now our debt is covered in chapter 4. Now in chapter 5 I want you to notice such words as, also, not only so, and much more. These are the key words of Romans chapter 5, in case you haven't noticed them.

And as we read now the first ten verses, eleven verses at least, briefly, let us notice the recurrence of the word, also. Not only so, and much more. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Some versions say, let us have peace with God, making it an exhortation. I think that is wrong. You haven't reached the exhortative portion of Romans when you come to chapter 5. We are still in the realm of the objective values of justification.

The objective values of the work of Christ, not the subjective responsibilities of it as yet. So I think the word, stand, as given here in our authorized version. Being justified by faith, we have peace with God.

This is not the individual tranquility of your heart at this present moment. At this present moment, the tranquility of your heart might have been disturbed by the recent happenings. This has to do with the great objective fact of peace with God wrought by the work of Christ.

When peace was declared in the war between the states, they tell me that the reaction of the soldiers was different in different places. Some soldiers threw their hats in the air for very joy, and others sat down and wept for very relief.

Now, whether the news that peace had been declared resulted in smiles or tears made no difference. The fact remained that peace was declared. And irrespective of the tranquility of your individual hearts at this moment, verse 1 draws attention to the fact that sin as a barrier and as a block has been removed through the work of Christ.

And because of that, we have, all of us, peace with God. How much could be said about that? But we pass on. By whom also, there's the first of those extra things. By whom also we have access by faith into a grace in which we stand.

We have access, as to the past, we have peace with God. As to the present, we have access into a grace in which we stand. Esther, the queen, was not sure of the grace in which she stood. And when her uncle Mordecai, or was it her older cousin, uncle I think, said to her, now you've got to go into the king's presence and intercede for your people, the Jews.

She said, I don't know if I can go in. You know the law of the country, if anybody enters the king's presence unasked, unless he holds out the golden scepter, he'll die. And the king has asked me to come into his presence for 30 days.

Which makes us think the king was tiring of his beautiful queen. I haven't been asked into his presence for 30 days. But she says, I'll go. And if I perish, I perish. She wasn't sure of the access that she had into the king's presence, of the grace in which she stood.

But she said, I'll take a chance. And so she put on her beautiful rose, and she stood in the doorway. I was glad of what her brother had to say about wives being nicely dressed when the husbands come home.

Never let your husband come home in the evening and find you in slacks. Amen. But that's a fact. Whatever you use of him in the daytime, I'm not here to suggest to you. Be nice when he comes home. Amen.

Anyway, she put on her beautiful rose. And she stood in the doorway. And the king looked up and saw his lovely wife. And his heart went out to her. And he held out the golden set. And timidly she came down.

And she touched it. And he said, what is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Just name it. And it will be yours. Unto the half of my kingdom. Just name it. And she was so startled and confused that she said, well, I'll tell you tomorrow.

She discovered really, although she wasn't sure of the grace in which she stood, that now she could approach the throne of grace and find the king's pledge to meet her needs unto the half of his kingdom.

But you know, when you and I come to Christ, we have access by faith into a grace in which we stand. We have a perfect and eternal standing in grace before God so that we can come to him and by faith touch the golden scepter of the promises of God and find our need met.

According to the half of Christ's kingdom? No. My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory. All his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. And you may come to him, my brother. And you may come to him, my sister, with the most unusual request.

Faith’s Access to God’s Promises

And if you touch the golden scepter of his promises with the hand of faith, they are given to you. I was talking to some brethren in Interville about Fifth Park Avenue Methodist Church in Minneapolis.

Years ago that was a place standing for God as far as they knew. And there was a Dr. Valentine who was a preacher there. I heard him one time when I was in Virginia. And he told us this story not what he had read in a book but what had happened in his own faith.

He said his sister down in the southern part of the state I think in Mankato was going to have a dinner party one evening and she had invited about a dozen guests and she decided that for so many people she had better have baked ham.

Fine, easy thing to have. So she ordered a baked ham for the guests. But that afternoon the snow began to fall and it fell and fell as only can in Minnesota on occasion. And she said to herself now I know that a lot of my guests are not going to turn up.

And she was right. And when she was cleaving off the table from the few that came she said to herself what am I going to do with all this ham? And she immediately thought of a woman who lived up the street who lived alone, poor woman.

She said I'll give her some of that ham tomorrow. And the Lord seemed to say no, no, give it to her tonight. She said no, I can't give it tonight because I've got guests here. And the Lord seemed to say no, you take it tonight.

But she said I can't take it tonight. Do you ever try to expostulate with God? She did. But she had no peace until she put a shawl on her head and ran all the way and dumped down at the woman's door some of the baked ham wrapped in tissue paper and pounded on the door and ran back to her guests.

And the next day or the day after when the store had subsided she went to visit the woman. She said how are you? Oh she said I'm fine. How did you like that baked ham? Did you bring that baked ham? Oh yes.

Oh she said let me tell you about that. She said I was sick in bed. I'd been sick for a couple of days. Couldn't eat. But then when I began to feel better I began to go over the few things I had in the house to eat.

And my stomach revolted against everyone. I lifted my voice to my heavenly Father and I said Father, you know what? I could eat baked ham. And she said I just lay on the bed and I just said over and over again Father, make it baked ham.

And I speak reverently friend. And I speak reverently I trust. But God looked down from heaven and said well who's got baked ham anyway? That did me a lot of good. You know that? You and I can touch the golden scepter of the promises of God with the hand of faith and trust God to be sufficient for all of us.

Hope of the Glory of God and Glory in Tribulation

And then the Lord as it says here and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Peace is to the past. Access by faith is to the present. And glory. Rejoice in hope of the glory of God. That may not draw attention so much to the rapture.

The catching up of the church to heaven. Although thank God it's part of it. But the words the glory of God seem usually be connected with his manifestation to the earth. We have to think that the biggest thing on the horizon in the realm of eschatology is the rapture of the church.

Probably isn't so. The rapture of the church is only incidental to God's great prophetic program. Of all that God has in the future for us. Here we rejoice in hope of the time where the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.

What a day. And then it says, and not only so, not only so, but the glory in tribulation. Oh you see I beg to stop. See I couldn't follow you there. Glory in tribulation. See I don't glory in tribulation.

Now notice what he says. Knowing glory in tribulation. Knowing. You can only glory in tribulation as you know. What? Knowing that tribulation worketh patience. Tribulation worketh patience. Now now tell me that word patience means fortitude.

Endurance or fortitude. Now tribulation in itself is not a palatable thing any more than the individual ingredients of a loaf are palatable things. You never went to somebody's house for supper and the host there says, while you're waiting how would you like a spoonful of flour?

Or how would you like a little piece of yeast cake? Only health fiends eat. Or how would you like a spoonful of salt by your way? Or whatever else to put in good bread. But put all these things together and they'll give you a palatable thing.

Now you'll never glory in tribulation until you see them working together for your good. Knowing that tribulation worketh endurance. It's when God goes in with you into the tribulation, into the valley and shows himself strong there and teaches you things you couldn't otherwise learn and profit by.

Then you welcome it when it comes. After all, steel at its lowest value may consist in horseshoes. Which you pitch around in the dirt. But steel at its highest value may consist in what springs? Those things, springs that move delicate instruments.

And how do they arrive at that value? With heating and hammering. And heating and hammering. And heating and hammering again. And you and I have to welcome those things because of what they produce in us.

They make life valuable for God. Our lives are not to be horseshoes pitched around in the dirt. They are to be what springs, used in the plan of God for his glory. Do you believe that? I trust we do, dear friends.

Tribulation works that thing and that fortitude experience. Here's a young fellow, he's made up his mind to take out the sea, as they call it. This is his first voyage. He's out there in the wild. And there's a storm, a terrific storm.

He's scared. He says, if I ever get off here you'll never see me back. But he happens to look up at the bridge. And the captain is leaning on the bridge talking to the mate and he's smoking a pipe. He's not a Christian.

I said that one place I was preaching years ago. Somebody said, didn't you know? I said, know what? He says, two of the elder brethren smoke. I said, I'm sorry I didn't know. That's my way. But he looks up and sees that man and he says, my, my, how can he do it?

You see, he had been through this, dear friends. It had worked, endurance, fortitude and experience. Now God doesn't want your life and mine to be free from heating and hammering because of the value that it produces in us.

Hope That Does Not Shame and Salvation from Wrath

And experience hope, and it's a hope we read here that maketh not ashamed. It's not a vain thing. Why? Because we have the earnest already. Because the love of God is shed abroad. That word shed abroad is a Greek word that means poured out like a torrent.

Poured out like a torrent in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us. Let's go on for the sake of time down to verse 9. Much more, much more. Then being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

It's not just a salvation from the past. It's a salvation from the future, from wrath through him. From all the wrath that's in the future, including the great tribulation. For in the book of Revelation, the wrath is confined between chapters 6 and 19, I think I'm correct in saying.

Wrath is confined between chapters 6 and 19. In Revelation, the church is not seen on earth at all. It's in heaven in chapter 5. And you don't see it again until you get to the end of the book. And the wrath are those judgments which fall upon the earth.

And we read in Thessalonians that Jesus not simply has delivered us from the wrath to come, but our deliverer, present tense, from the wrath to come. That's why I know and believe that the church will not go through the tribulation.

For Jesus is our deliverer from the wrath to come. And God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. That whether we watch or sleep, we shall live together with him.

Thank God for that. And then notice what it says in verse 10. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Now this is his life on the other side of his death. We are reconciled by his death, much more, being reconciled by his death, we shall be saved by his living, by his life. At the right hand of God, of which we have heard quite a little already.

Christ Our Advocate with the Father

Now, I want you to think tonight of the fact that at this moment there is in heaven a man who is called in 1 John chapter 2 our advocate with the Father. Perhaps you like to keep your hand in a place and will you turn over to 1 John 2 and watch.

I find that if God's people see it in the Bible, it's even better than hearing it. In the Bible, first epistle of John, chapter 2, verse 1. My little children, these things write I unto you that ye sin not, and if any men sin.

It doesn't say, and when any of you sin, as if sin were a necessity, as if sin were something that could not be avoided. It doesn't say that. And if, I'm writing to you that you don't sin, but if you do, remember, we have an advocate with the Father.

Jesus Christ the righteous. Two things I want you to know, please, about this. It does not say if any man confess, and he's talking to little children in the family, Christians. It does not say if any man confess, we have an advocate with the Father.

But if any man sin, we have an advocate. In other words, the advocacy of Christ does not begin when you confess your sin. The advocacy of Christ begins when you sin. It's not your confession that results in His advocacy.

It's His advocacy that results in your confession. Amen? That's a wonderful thing to get a hold of. You see, our dear Pentecostal brethren, who love the Lord with all their hearts, and are continually thanking Him for the precious blood of Christ, and who often make you ashamed with their consecration to Him, we believe they're sadly lacking in a number of things.

And they believe with all their hearts that you can be saved for many years, and if you sin as a believer, the advocacy of Christ only begins for you when you confess. And if you were to die between the time you sin and the time you confess, you'd be lost forever.

You see? But it doesn't say that the advocacy of Christ begins when you confess. It says if any man sins, we have an advocate with us. So let me repeat what I said. I was almost going to ask you to repeat it.

It is not my sin that results. It's not my confession that results in His advocacy. It's His advocacy that results in my confession. Amen? You're not so sure. But it's true. It's true. Now, if you lost your salvation when you sinned as a believer, God wouldn't be your Father anymore.

He'd still be your God, but not your Father. The relationship would be gone. But this verse says, if any man sins, we have an advocate with the Father. He's still the Father. Amen? He's still the Father.

Joy in God Beyond His Blessings

Because we have a man there who saves us by His life. Aren't you glad? And now to close, please. Going back to Romans once more. And verse 11. And not only shall we live off the rest, not only shall we, but we also joy in God.

Now, it's the same word in Greek as rejoice in verse 2, and glory in verse 3, and joy in verse 12. Verse 11. Not only so, but we also joy in God. Exalted. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement, the reconciliation.

The last thing I want you to notice then is what? We joy in God. We have peace with God. We have access by faith into a grace in which we stand. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God. We glory in tribulation.

We are saved from wrath through Him. We are saved by His life. And finally, we joy in God. Not in His blessings, but in God. We're not like the nine who stand in the row, counting their blessings. We're like the one who turns back and falling at the feet of his benefactor, gives him thanks, and he goes to sabbatical.

We get beyond the blessings to the blessed, and we joy in God. Do you ever joy in God? I mean, do you ever get along with God? And just joy in God? I think David did that in 2 Samuel chapter 7, was it?

Or 8? Do you ever shout hallelujah out loud? You say, no, I never do. I do. I'm very careful to wait till I'm on the highway with all the windows shut. Joy in God. Do you ever sit in your car and just joy in God?

I do sometimes. And tell God what you think about Him. That's what David did. One of the things he said, Lord, I thank you for speaking about me for a long time to come. You joy in God. Get beyond all the things He gives you and get to Himself.

Brethren and sisters, let us live off the rest.